Rivers & People
Rivers and People is a river volunteering project facilitated by Glendale Grounds Management. It offers volunteers opportunities to improve their fitness and Lewisham’s rivers by taking part in practical nature conservation activities. Rivers & People is free, fun and no experience is needed! The sessions run every Tuesday all year round, with our programme of activities being updated every 3 months.
The activities range from practical habitat improvements, biological recording to specific upskilling and training in different elements of managing rivers. We’ve had talks from experts from everything between European eel ecology to water quality monitoring.
How did the project start?
The project began as a 3-year lottery-funded project run as a partnership between Lewisham Council and Creekside Education Trust. On offer was a programme of events and activities aimed at engaging people with the borough’s extensive river network and its associated wildlife.
During the project’s funded phase, activities included guided walks and wades along the Ravensbourne, Pool and Quaggy rivers, natural history workshops, practical conservation sessions for biodiversity and amenity benefit, and occasional river clean-ups to remove unwanted debris and invasive species.
Schools were particularly welcome to get involved as we were able to offer a wide range of water and wildlife-related activities to link in with the curriculum. To date groups have taken part in river wades, freshwater invertebrate sampling, channel characteristics, clean-ups, nature rambles and water quality and flooding investigations.
The project was funded through Natural England and the Big Lottery’s Access to Nature scheme, and is being delivered by Lewisham Council and the Creekside Education Trust.
River Resources
As well as the active volunteering side of the Rivers & People project, we have also created a collection of resources online for teachers, students and individuals interested in finding out more about some of the activities the project has been involved in.
Some school projects can still be organised, however we have created a tailed schools pack so that teachers can borrow our equipment and run their own river related sessions. This includes worksheets, resources and 3 short videos to help you run your sessions safely and to get an idea of where you can run your projects. More information on this on how to book can be found on our School Resource page. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
Rivers and People 